February 7, 2009

Be skeptical of Forest City, New Yorkers warn Las Vegas

Atlantic Yards Report

KNPR, Nevada Public Radio, has been reporting on a proposal by Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman to build a new downtown Las Vegas City Hall in partnership with developer Forest City Enterprises, a proposal opposed by the 60,000-member Culinary Union.

And while Forest City has been unwilling to send a rep to be interviewed, on January 30 the program focused on the developer's project in Fresno, CA, and yesterday on Atlantic Yards.

The takeaway for Las Vegans from yesterday's show was to be skeptical of the developer and to take any announced plans with a grain of salt.

But the takeaway for Brooklynites probably came from Matthew Schuerman of WNYC, who warned that "the bond market can turn around in a year," which means that, should lawsuits be resolved in the state's favor--and that's more likely than not--the arena might go ahead. In other words, AY is hardly dead.